IECAM Electronic Newsletter (IECAMnews-L)
2008, Issue 1Have you ever wanted to find out how many Preschool for All sites are funded in your legislative district? Or how many Head Start classrooms?
Have you needed to know how many family child care homes or child care centers who care for infants and toddlers are in your county?
Thanks to the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM) you can now find answers to these and many other data questions about how early childhood services relate to the population of young children in Illinois online.
IECAM was developed by the University of Illinois Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative and Chicago Metropolis 2020 in response to the Illinois Early Learning Council’s request for a publicly accessible interactive tool that could support “transparent” decision making about how early childhood services are planned and funded. This new Web-based tool brings together data on early care and education from state agencies (birth to 5), Head Start, and the private sector. IECAM also includes community demographic information that can be used by federal, state, and local government agencies to inform resource allocation processes in Illinois. The goal is to help public agencies and community planners understand how they can use resources as efficiently as possible while creating a comprehensive early childhood system for the state.
The IECAM data collection is searchable in several ways:
- Interactive Queries. Interact with a map of Illinois using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Users can identify early childhood service sites (for Head Start, licensed- and license-exempt child care, licensed family child care, and Preschool for All/Pre-K), view individual sites, and explore the demographic characteristics of counties, townships, and legislative districts. Search results are presented in both tables and maps. A User Guide is available (click on HELP) to assist in formulating questions
- Tabular Data. Search the IECAM data collection using a variety of parameters and indicators and display the results in a table. Data tables can be exported for closer examination.
We want to hear
your voice...
If you have used IECAM, please contact Dawn Thomas at dthomas3@illinois.edu to share how you have used IECAM and your thoughts and impressions about the Web site.
IECAMNEWS-L is a periodic newsletter that announces new developments on the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM) Web site.
IECAM is planned and developed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with Chicago Metropolis 2020. Public funds have come from the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, and University of Illinois. Foundation funding has come from the Joyce Foundation, Irving Harris Foundation, Grand Victoria Foundation, McCormick Tribune Foundation, CME Foundation, and Spencer Foundation. For a listing of the IECAM Advisory Committee and more information, see About IECAM at http://iecam.crc.uiuc.edu/about.html. For training, please contact IECAM directly at (877) 275-3227 or dthomas3@illinois.edu.
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For more information, contact Dawn Thomas at (877) 275-3227 or dthomas3@illinois.edu
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign